Ceterix Orthopaedics, Inc.

Pulmonx Corporation

Emphasys Medical, Inc.

John G McCutcheon

Michael J Hendricksen

Justin D Saliman

Michael Murillo

Christopher P Bender

Mark Y Hirotsuka

Antony Jonathan Fields

Alexander Jasso

Ronald Ray Hundertmark

Brad S Culbert

Michael Barrett

David R Tholfsen

Hanson S Gifford, Iii

Peter M Wilson

George V Anastas

Alan R Rapacki

Thomas D Mina

Douglas Sutton

Anthony D Wondka

Robert George

Peter P Soltesz

Alan B Miller

Chris Norcross Bender

David Peter Shaw

Jeffery J Dolin

Michael J Hendrickson

Donald Sutton

David H Heagy

Chris P Bender

Devices, systems and methods for passing a suture. In general, described herein are suturing devices, such as suture passers, as well as methods of suturing tissue. These suture passing devices may include dual deployment suture passers in which a first distal jaw member is moveable at an angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the elongate body of the device and the second distal jaw member is retractable proximally to the distal end region of the elongate body and/or the first jaw member.

Suture passer devices and methods

Devices, systems and methods for passing a suture. In general, described herein are suturing devices, such as suture passers, as well as methods of suturing tissue. These suture passing devices may include dual deployment suture passers in which a first distal jaw member is moveable at an angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the elongate body of the device and the second distal jaw member is retractable proximally to the distal end region of the elongate body and/or the first jaw member. Also described herein are suture passers in which the tissue penetrator passing the suture travels in an approximately sigmoidal pathway, with the distal end of the tissue penetrator extending distally from one jaw of the device.

Methods for repairing a meniscus, and particularly a torn meniscus. A method of repairing a meniscus may include using a suture passer to pass a suturing element from the region between the superior surface of the meniscus and the femoral condyle, through the meniscus tissue, into the region between the inferior surface of the meniscus and the tibial plateau, across the inferior surface of the meniscus, and back to the superior surface of the meniscus, without deeply penetrating the posterior capsular region of the knee. Equivalently, the suture element may be passed from the inferior surface of the meniscus to the superior surface and back to the inferior surface.

Meniscus repair

Described herein are methods and apparatuses for use in repair of a patient's tissue by connecting the tissue to the bone using a transosteal tunnel and anchor configured to pass through the transosteal tunnel. In particular, described herein are methods of repairing an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and torn meniscal root. These anchoring apparatuses and method of using them are particularly well suited for use with the low-profile suture passers described herein, since these suture passers may allow access to previously inaccessible regions of the knee (or other body regions).

Transosteal anchoring methods for tissue repair

Described herein are suture passers that may be used for repair of the meniscus of the knee. These suture passers typically include an elongate body having a pair of arms. One or more of the arms may be radiused at the distal end region relative to the long axis of the device, to better fit between a target tissue and a body non-target tissue (e.g., the curvature of the femoral condyle). The arms may form a distal-facing opening that is configured to fit the target tissue. One arm may be movable in the axial direction (e.g., the direction of the long axis of the device), while the other arm may be bendable. A tissue penetrator may be housed within one of the arms to extend across the distal opening between the arms. Thus, a suture may be passed from a first side of the tissue to a second side.

Suture passer with radiused upper jaw

Devices, systems and methods for passing a suture. In general, described herein are suturing devices, such as suture passers, as well as methods of suturing tissue. These suture passing devices are dual deployment suture passers in which a first distal jaw member is moveable at an angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the elongate body of the device and the second distal jaw member is retractable proximally to the distal end region of the elongate body and/or the first jaw member. Methods of suturing tissue using a dual deployment suture passer are also described.

Suture passers and methods of suturing tissue to prevent tissue bridging, without requiring a cannula. Tissue bridging involves the capture of non-target tissue within a loop of suture formed around and/or through a target tissue. The devices and methods described herein may include the use of a threading aperture at or near the distal end of the suture passer to guide the device in passing a suture through the tissue along the same pathway that another leg or legs of the loop took to access the target tissue, thereby preventing the inadvertent capture of non-target tissue leading to tissue bridging. In particular, described herein are suture passers and methods of arthroscopically suturing the meniscus of the knee while preventing tissue bridging.

Methods and devices for preventing tissue bridging while suturing

A method and system for increasing the flow resistance of collateral pathways in the lung by employing aspiration to establish an artificial convective flow current between compartments in the lung in order to entrain and deliver a clogging agent preferentially to the collateral pathways. The method may sometimes be performed after lung has been assessed for the presence of collateral pathways.

Collateral pathway treatment using agent entrained by aspiration flow current

Devices, systems and methods for passing a suture. In general, described herein are suturing devices, such as suture passers, as well as methods of suturing tissue. These suture passing devices may include dual deployment suture passers in which a first distal jaw member is movable at an angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the elongate body of the device and the second distal jaw member is retractable proximally to the distal end region of the elongate body and/or the first jaw member. Also described herein are suture passers in which the tissue penetrator passing the suture travels in an approximately sigmoidal pathway, with the distal end of the tissue penetrator extending distally from one jaw of the device.

Growing community of inventors

Menlo Park, CA, United States of America

John G McCutcheon